


Wingin' It

by wolfsan11



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Between Two Points Zine, Fluff, LOOK MA NO ANGST, Love Confessions, M/M, Modern AU, Mutual Pining, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2018-05-12
Packaged: 2019-05-05 17:56:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14624016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfsan11/pseuds/wolfsan11
Summary: An accidental encounter on a flight reunites Keith with his college best friend and old crush, Takashi Shirogane, giving them the opportunity to connect, and put a name to the bond between them while they're at it.





	Wingin' It

**Author's Note:**

> When in doubt, make the title a pun
> 
> This is the piece I wrote for the Sheith Between Two Points Zine, check out the twitter for some beautiful previews! I've edited the fic slightly and I hope you enjoy :D
> 
> Huge thanks to the wonderful mods, Synne [@synnesai](http://twitter.com/synnesai) and Meeya [@trustissuesinc](http://twitter.com/trustissuesinc), I had a lot of fun creating for this zine! Thanks also to my amazing artist, Ines [@NiseStarmin](http://twitter.com/NiseStarmin), they made the most beautiful art piece to accompany this fic!! <3 <3 Thanks for partnering with me, I would never have done it without you ;; <3 (I'll link the art when they post the complete pic!)
> 
> Lastly, thank you to Charlie [@heyitscmei](http://twitter.com/heyitscmei) and Psy [@starchydreams](http://twitter.com/starchydreams) for being the driving force in helping me write and then cut down on all the wordy words :'D You guys took a knife to it LMAO, you're the loveliest friends and betas I could ask for!! <3
> 
> And it really is all fluff...an achievement for me lol

The plane’s been grounded for a good 30 minutes past departure time and between the deceivingly hot-as-hell interiors and the baby two rows behind him that _won’t stop wailing_ , Keith is just about ready to be done with the day. He sinks into his seat, staring out the tiny window and down at the airport tarmac where melted snow has painted the strip a dark grey.

A single passenger’s delay and now they’re all suffering. Apparently, it was too much to ask for people to be on time.

There's a sudden smattering of applause and a few cries of "Finally!" as the late-comer stumbles into the plane, straightening with an apologetic smile. The exits are promptly sealed and Keith sighs, relieved.

The man walking down the aisle is tall, clad in a black blazer and white shirt over dark jeans. There’s a duffle bag on his shoulder and a pink scarf wrapped around his neck. Keith notices a distinct scar across his nose, though it doesn’t deter from how handsome he is with that jawline and those sharp, grey eyes—

It takes too long to register what he’s seeing.

Keith chokes, ducking down hurriedly, mind racing and heart beating frantically against his ribs. It has to be a mistake. He’s just seeing things. Of all the possible flights, of all the possible people—

“Hey, I think this is my seat—Keith? Is that you?”

Keith flinches, alarms blaring in his head. The voice is unmistakeably familiar, an echo from countless happy memories he’d shoved away in the recesses of his mind. He looks up slowly, gaze sliding over the man before him.

Takashi Shirogane is as handsome as ever; even more so than the last time Keith had seen him on graduation day three years ago. The situation registers slowly. He’s on a five-hour long flight bound home, seated next to the best friend he hasn't talked to in years . . .

The best friend who also happened to be his ex-crush.

“H-hey! Hi. Sh-Shiro.” Keith manages, awkwardly.

“It’s so good to see you!” Shiro gushes with enthusiasm, ignorant to the turmoil in Keith’s head. Because with Shiro right there, mere inches away from him now, there’s a flush working its way up Keith’s face and his heart thrums with a nervous joy he can’t bring himself to contain.

Alright. So maybe his affections for Shiro had never died away after all. Maye it’d been a neat lie he’d managed to trick himself into believing.

Typical.

 

* * *

 

Keith imagines talking to Shiro after all this time will be an exercise in frustration; awkward, stilted, uncomfortable. As it turns out, it’s none of those. They have the initial small talk of course: what they’ve been doing and where they’ve been since they'd left uni.

Shiro reveals that he’s returning fresh from his final tour in the army; honourable discharge and a medal to show for it. The prosthetic arm is new, but Keith isn’t sure if prodding him about it now is appropriate. He doesn’t bring it up and Shiro rewards him with a soft smile that tells him it’s been noted.

Keith, meanwhile, is on his way back from a wedding.

“Lance and Allura’s, right?” Shiro exclaims. “I couldn’t attend, for obvious reasons, although I did get the invitation. Man, I can’t believe they’re married now. Remember when they first met? Lance spewing those terrible pick-up lines? Hunk looked like he wanted to disown him. And Allura—”

Keith snorts, the memory of Allura’s disgust still as clear as it had been then.

“Trust me, Pidge and I told everyone the whole story during the reception. You should’ve seen Lance’s face when Allura re-enacted it; she even used his favourite line on him! He took it in stride, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen him blush that hard,” he snickers. Then, with a softer smile, he adds: “They’re good together.”

“Well, I don’t doubt that,” Shiro says, smiling in return.

Just like that, they’re slipping back into their old camaraderie, clicking like they used to. Keith laughs at one of Shiro’s horrible jokes and they tease one another, reminiscing over memories of watching shitty movies together, getting drunk over a shared bottle of wine, mourning over finals weeks, and all the dumb things they used to dare each other to do. It’s like everything has changed, and yet nothing has.

So when the announcement to prepare for landing comes over the intercom, Keith feels like he’s been slapped awake, suddenly aware of the passengers’ chatter and the dull hum of the plane’s engines. He stares at Shiro, open-mouthed, and Shiro stares back, looking similarly struck.

They’d been so caught up in the past, Keith had forgotten to brace himself for the present.

 

* * *

 

The silence is stifling by the time they reach Baggage Claims. Shiro carefully watches each bag that passes and Keith wonders what he’s thinking about. He feebly prays their luggage arrives last or goes missing, anything to prolong the inevitable farewell.

He’s numb as he spots his bag; bright red and battered, but hard to miss. He wishes, stupidly, that he’d chosen a different colour. Black would have been good. Shiro helps him haul it onto his trolley despite his protests, and the brush of their hands leaves Keith momentarily speechless. Then Shiro’s bag arrives and they can’t avoid it anymore.

He turns to face Shiro, and finds him already looking his way, a strange expression on his face. Keith blinks, his eyes darting to the doors visible in the distance beyond Shiro’s head. The evening sky is lovely through the glass walls, the crowd of people outside awaiting their loved ones. There’s no one waiting for Keith, and he knows that applies to Shiro too.

He’s sorely unprepared for when Shiro steps forward into his line of vision and gathers him into a tight hug. Keith blushes, pleasantly surprised as he wraps his arms around his friend, but worries at how tense Shiro feels against him.

“Shiro? You okay?” he asks, concerned.

“. . . I’m gonna miss you,” Shiro admits, quietly.

Keith swallows, squeezing his eyes shut at those words. Because if that’s true for Shiro, then what about him?

Ah, what the hell.

Standing there, he comes to a reckless decision. It’s risky. It’s _mortifying_ , but he _can’t_ let this end here.

“Shiro. Look, I don’t know if I’m reading this right, or if I’m overthinking it, but I need to say this. I-I’ve . . .” He pauses, takes a deep breath. Now or never.

“I’ve always loved you, Shiro.”

Shiro steps back in surprise, face pink, but Keith clutches at the sleeves of his blazer—can’t help but look up into his face imploringly.

“I loved you back when we were in uni. I love you now, despite all the time we spent apart. I. I’m in love with you. So, before I get cold feet, before you get in your taxi and drive away and we never see each other again, I . . . would you . . . would you want to go for a coffee together? W-with me, I mean.”

There. He’d said it. His face feels hot and Keith just prays he spontaneously combusts or that Shiro at least rejects him gentl—

“Keith.”

Shiro’s hair brushes over the bridge of Keith’s nose and he hazily wonders when Shiro’d gotten that close.

“It’s the same for me,” Shiro murmurs. Then he leans in and kisses him on the cheek and Keith _squeaks_.

“I. Um. Buh?” Keith wants to kick himself, but his brain isn’t working, even as his heart pumps overtime.

Shiro pulls away with a bright laugh, slipping his hand into Keith’s. Some part of Keith recognises that as something _phenomenal_.

“Coffee sounds great,” Shiro says. He smiles as he lightly squeezes Keith’s fingers, bringing him back to his senses.

Keith huffs a tiny laugh of disbelief, then a louder one as he covers his face in embarrassment and sheer joy.

“Okay,” he says, with a shy grin. “It’s a date.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on [twitter](http://twitter.com/wolfsan11) or [tumblr](http://wolfsan11.tumblr.com)!


End file.
